Giants' 365-Pound Addition is John Harbaugh's Most Intriguing Move Yet

The New York Giants' defensive tackle room has been a regular topic of discussion throughout the offseason. They needed help on the interior even before trading away Dexter Lawrence, so you can understand why it has been such a hot-button issue.

Yes, the Giants signed DJ Reader and Shelby Harris in free agency, and they selected Bobby Jamison-Travis in the sixth round of the NFL Draft.

But depth was a major concern for New York at the position.

Well, the Giants have addressed that problem, swinging a trade with the Baltimore Ravens to acquire 6-foot-6, 365-pound behemoth CJ Okoye in exchange for the 2028 seventh-round draft pick they had previously acquired from the Kansas City Chiefs in the recent Josh Ezeudu trade.

Okoye played under Harbaugh in Baltimore last season, finishing with 15 tackles in 13 games. The 24-year-old originally made the jump to the NFL in 2023 when he played for the Los Angeles Chargers as an international pathway player.

He didn't actually play in any regular-season games for the Chargers, but played in preseason contests and remained on their practice squad before joining the Ravens.

In fact, Okoye recorded a sack during his preseason debut and later admitted that he didn't even know it was a sack.

The Nigerian native is still learning how to play football, and if he is ever able to put it together with his massive size and impressive athleticism, he could end up being a force in the trenches for the Giants.

Of course, the question is what this means for New York's interior.

Reader and Harris are the top two defensive linemen on the depth chart. Darius Alexander is likely No. 3. Chauncey Golston is generally being viewed as an interior defender now, so he's in the mix. Then, there's Jamison-Travis, the Giants' Day 3 pick who has logged a couple of sacks in preseason and clearly has potential.

New York didn't trade a draft pick for Okoye to cut him or put him on the practice squad. He is obviously making the team. So there is a world in which the Giants keep all of Reader, Harris, Alexander, Jamison-Travis and Okoye and move Golston back to the edge. Or simply part ways with another linebacker.

Okoye has looked good in the preseason and had been listed as Baltimore's second-string defensive tackle, so he will almost certainly be getting some playing time with Big Blue.

I'm just curious to see how it all plays out for the G-Men.